The present disclosure relates generally to rear window assemblies for vehicles.
During manufacture and assembly of a vehicle, glass windows are assembled in corresponding window openings in the body. The body has a glass flange around the opening that the glass is attached to. The flange is shaped to receive the glass and the glass is applied to the flange using urethane or other adhesives. However, with some vehicles, different glass variations are desired for different models or trims. For example, some manufacturers offer trucks that include a rear window that is a single, fixed pane of glass or, as an option, include a rear window with multiple panes of glass allowing the rear window to open and close. For example, one pane may slide with respect to the other panes. The rear window with the slider may include rails and other components that the window without the slider does not include.
Conventional vehicles may use different glass flanges to accommodate the different windows. For example, conventional vehicles use a first flange to accommodate a window without a slider and use a second, different flange to accommodate a window with a slider. Alternatively, some other conventional vehicles may also apply a frame to the fixed glass to equal the thickness of the slider glass rails. Assembly requires tracking which vehicles need the first flange and which vehicles need the second flange. Attachment of the flanges may require different processes, which leads to a more complex manufacturing process.